Mastermind
by LaughingLefou
Summary: Whoever said life isn't a game was entirely wrong. Everything is a game; it's just a matter of understanding the rules. While Jaune Arc might not have been the strongest player, he could certainly learn the rules quickly. Good thing too; with a mysterious foe on the horizon and Remnant in danger, Jaune might be Remnant's last hope of survival...
1. A Very Important Thing

_I do not own RWBY. That belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, may his soul rest in peace._

 **Mastermind**

 **Chapter 1: A Very Important Thing**

When Jaune was 11 years old, he did a Very Important Thing.

He had no idea that it had been so important. To him, he'd simply been playing a game and enjoying himself. He'd simply been a young boy who was having fun with the gift his father had given him, unknowing and (at the time) uncaring about what his actions had possibly wrought.

It all began one fateful Feast of Saints Day while Jaune was still just ten years old, when the entire Arc family had been exchanging gifts. Jaune had really made out like a bandit that year, his sisters having all given him gifts. From Celeste Arc, he'd received a pair of fingerless gloves made from real leather. His sister Luna Arc had given him a small robotics kit for children. From Jeanette Arc, he'd received a brand new Scroll with upgraded memory and better graphics. Melody Arc had given him a mock wooden training sword, (His father seemed to be none too happy about that one, but luckily hadn't really said a word about it.) Serena Arc had given him a graphing calculator, (She was always the brainiac of the family) Tiffany Arc had gifted him a wonderful black hoodie, (It may have been a bit big on him now, but he'd grow into it) and last but not least, his sister Cassandra had given him a book on rare minerals and metals. (This confused the boy greatly, but Cassandra was like his parents; neither of them wanted Jaune to go into the Hunting business and rather he find his calling somewhere else.)

However, the most important gift all came from his father, Alexander Arc. His father, also known as Alexander the Great, was one of the greatest military commanders still living on Remnant. He was the very definition of strong, with a sharp and cunning mind to boot. Most importantly, he and Jaune were as close as a father and a son could possibly be. Much of Jaune's childhood was filled with moments of he and his father spending quality time together, doing things such as fishing, hunting, (not Hunting for Grimm, but just hunting for food) playing board games and other such activities. To Jaune, Alexander the Great wasn't called as such for his might, nor his strategic and tactical skills. He was Alexander the Great for being such a good father.

His father had given him a Scroll game. He explained that he'd received it from an old friend of his, and while he didn't really play Scroll games anymore, he figured that Jaune would enjoy it. The young blond boy embraced his father, happy, and quickly rushed off to go play the new game as soon as he could.

The game was called **ARES** and it could be best described as a combat simulator. There was no story, no characters. Just scenarios and a lot, a _lot_ of customization and options. At first, it seemed to be overwhelming for the young boy, but he didn't want to give up on playing it and disappoint his father, so he did his best to study the game and all of its intricacies. The game had multiple modes, each one revolving around different forms of group combat, ranging from four man squad based combat to all out War between two kingdoms.

Each mode had a _staggering_ amount of detail involved in it too. From terrain, to resources, to individual Aura levels; the entire game was flooded with information and thousands of variables one had to keep an eye on in order to achieve victory. Jaune's first few battles were absolutely horrific; his units would be utterly crushed, his arms wiped out to the last man and even his individual teams would be torn to shreds by both Grimm and other Hunters. It was fairly depressing if the young boy was being honest. After his tenth utter defeat, the young boy was ready to pack it in and give up on the whole thing altogether in favor of an easier game.

All it took for him to dive back into the game though, was a single question from his father. _"You enjoying yourself, Jaune?"_ Jaune remembered looking into his father's eyes, with the kind of look that seemed to hope that his son appreciated the gift and found himself unable to tell his father that the gift he'd been given him was too difficult to enjoy. So Jaune simply smiled, replied that he was enjoying it and went right back to the game to try and get into it once more.

Four months after he'd received that gift, Jaune found himself...actually starting to enjoy it. He was learning strategy and tactics, learning how to utilize terrain and environment to his advantage. The young boy learned more than he'd ever thought about logistics and resources, from the macro to the micro. Supply lines to caches, Jaune had quickly found out that battles could not be won on strength alone, but on information and resources. Eventually the battles he fought went from utterly horrific to simply bad, then from bad to passable, and by the time his 11th birthday had come around seven months later, he'd been breezing through the game's story missions on all modes and all difficulties. Eventually, fighting against the bots of the game had become too easy, too tedious, so he took the only option he could. He began to play on the CCT network.

However, much to his dismay, he found that the games weren't much harder. Sure, some people were unpredictable, but his knowledge of the game as well as his burgeoning focus on strategy and tactics were making him a veritable force to be reckoned with. He'd come back home after school and eagerly play a few games online before growing bored with how easy it'd become, and by the end of the night was busy working on his robotics kit (he was thankful for that gift as well as he was finding it enjoyable to work on the little robot) or trying to practice with his sword.

It wouldn't be until a month before the Feast of Saints that Jaune would find himself doing the Very Important Thing. The day was like any other. He'd gotten out of school and trudged his way home in the snow, eager to get back into the warmth of his house. He burst in the door, giving only the briefest of answers to his mother's query about how his day had gone, and quickly shuffled out of his coat, mittens, scarf and boots. Disregarding the snow, and his mother's complaints about how he'd tracked it in, he ran up the stairs and into his room, hopping right onto his Scroll, opening it up and seeing the graphics on the bigger Scroll appear.

He was surprised. Someone had...sent him a challenge? That was unheard of; Jaune usually had to challenge others in order to get attention, but someone had actually sent _him_ one! The user name was 'Ice_Queen,' which Jaune found to be an awesome name. His own user name was "ArcAngel," a reference to his family name, as well as his desired role to become a hero, just like his father, and his father's father, and so on throughout the Arc family. He accepted the challenge, and just like that, found himself in a 4v4 battle of Hunters.

The battle lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Jaune spent a great deal of the night playing, in shock at just how incredible this new challenger was. They were incredible; every bit his equal. He'd never been challenged like this before...and he loved it. Finally Jaune had to go to sleep, but his sleep was restless as his mind went over the combat, formulating strategies and contemplating tactics. It would take him most of the night to finally go to sleep.

The next day brought more excitement for Jaune. It was the beginning of winter vacation, and he awoke surprisingly early for how long it took him to get to sleep. He waited and waited, bouncing up and down excitedly until his opponent _finally_ hopped on, and the battle began anew. Their combat lasted all day long, stopping only for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As before, they had to pause, and Jaune went to bed again once more, excited and eager for the next day. He'd forgotten all about the robot he'd been working on, and hadn't once tried to practice with his blade. All he could think about was how he could win the battle against this mysterious new challenger.

The next day, the battle ended.

Jaune, despite his opponent's tenacious and clever mindset, had won. He was so excited, that he couldn't sit still. He hollered and jumped about the house, super excited. His parents of course, found the entire thing just amusing. They watched him jumping excitedly around, proclaiming his victory to the house, even trying to get his sisters involved in the celebration. Two hours later he'd _finally_ calmed down, going back upstairs in glee, when he noticed that he had another message. Curious, he opened it up to see what was the matter, only to find that 'Ice_Queen' had challenged him again! Having enjoyed the first battle they had so much, Jaune couldn't help but to eagerly accept, ready for another incredible battle.

As before, Jaune loved every minute of it. Forcing him to use his mind like he'd never used it before to outwit his opponent. There was just one _liiiiiitle_ problem. The second time it was...easier? It certainly took less time. Jaune had managed to defeat his opponent by the end of the night the next day. He didn't mind it, but the victory wasn't _quite_ as exciting as it had been before. As before, 'Ice_Queen' sent him _yet another_ challenge after the battle. With less enthusiasm than before, he accepted once again.

The third time was even easier than before, the team on team battle taking only half a day this time, and again, another challenge was issued. This time, however, Jaune ignored it. He'd already grown bored of his opponent, and instead had gotten distracted by the robot he'd been working on for the school year, trying to see if it was possible to get the small humanoid form to be able to fetch him food, or at least soda. Another message was sent no more than ten minutes later with a challenge, but Jaune ignored it. A third message was sent, but it too was ignored, until finally, the sender had apparently given up.

It wouldn't be until two weeks later when Jaune would find himself receiving another challenge. This time however, Jaune received a message of challenge by the user name of 'Tinman.' Jaune of course, was excited to fight someone again. Sure, he hadn't played in a couple of weeks, but hey, he wasn't going to complain. He still remembered the rush of victory from defeating his first challenger, and he wanted to feel that again. So he accepted, ready for a fight.

Unlike the last one, this was a full army fight, a very difficult fight with the extreme amount of detail that each side had to keep track of, as well as the random problems and issues that each side would face. Jaune was excited and ready to fight...and a fight he _got_. Whoever this 'Tinman' was, had him fighting like he'd never before. His army was almost wiped out in full in the first three hours of combat, and the next few weren't much better. Jaune had to claw and bite for every single advantage he could find. In the end, however, Jaune…failed. He lost.

Jaune felt devastated, dejected; he even felt as though he were ready to give up on the game again. However, he was surprised when 'Tinman' messaged him with another challenge. Even more surprising, this one came with a message. [Come on, it's been that long since you've played? Let's do one more round. I want to see the legendary commander himself in action.]

The young boy clenched his fist and nodded, accepting the challenge, and once more found himself in command of a massive army, preparing for the fight of his life. This game took Jaune a week, a full _week_ to complete. Back and forth the two armies exchanged, fighting back and forth for control over a small mountain range that was capable of procuring large amounts of high quality Dust. Skirmishes, ambushes, even straight up fights; Men died on both sides by the droves, and unlike the game before, Jaune was already doing much better. He and his opponent went at each other with everything they had, and by the time the 'war' was drawing to a close, neither side had much to work with.

The second time, Jaune lost again. This time however, it was _much_ closer than before, and Jaune couldn't help but feel eager for one more round, this time sending the message to 'Tinman' about how he wanted another match. He had sent it, and received a message back in short order: [Eager as ever, aren't you Alex? The old habits coming back into play? Though, I must admit, I'm impressed. Your grasp of military strategy is just as sharp as it was when we first met. I'd love to go another round with you.]

Jaune was confused. His name was Jaune, not Alex! He didn't care though, he was just happy to get another game in with the new challenger. Once more, the terrain and armies changed, but the battle did not. Two armies facing each other over territory, and with that, the game began again. This time, Jaune had really put his all into it. His past two defeats only brought to mind his failures, and he learned quickly from them, testing himself against 'Tinman' for the third time. This match took just as long as before, Jaune's family a tad bit concerned that their son had been spending so much time locked up in his room. Even his sisters assumed something was wrong, but the young blond boy insisted that nothing was wrong at all. He was just busy concentrating.

A week went by, filled with war, with battle, with two minds clashing against each other again and again...and then…

Victory.

For the first time, Jaune had never felt so elated as when he saw that victory screen, realizing that he'd won. Not even his first victory against another human opponent had that same incredible feeling. Ice_Queen, and all the others he'd tested his wits again were nothing compared to the sheer focus he'd put into facing down Tinman. He was so excited that he could barely think. Then, another message popped up. He opened it and began reading.

[Absolutely incredible, Alex! It appears that the years spent away from command really haven't dulled your senses, now have they? What you did with the 3rd division was absolutely incredible! I haven't seen a reverse pincer like that for ages! We'll have to talk more, unfortunately duty calls. I can't wait to catch up with you this Feast of Saint's though.]

Jaune was confused. Tinman was referring to him as Alex again, and why was he talking to him like they were old friends? As before, however, he didn't seem to care a few moments later, and once again found himself distracted with his other favorite hobbies. That miniature robot butler wasn't going to build itself, after all…

 **[]**

It wouldn't be until the day before the Feast of Saints that Jaune would finally meet the man who'd change his life. Well, for the second time anyway, not that he was aware of that. The man was a Very Important Man, that much he could tell. How did he know that? His father insisted that the entire family, or what family was left at home as four of his seven sisters were currently out on Hunting missions, dress in their nicest clothing and wait around quietly that morning. The man arrived in a massive airship that hovered in the air high above their house, shading it and slightly scaring Jaune.

The man who visited them that day was a tall man, with dark hair and a silver coat. His father had approached the man with all the air of a friend, smiling widely. His father was a mountain of a man, all muscle and gristle and while the man was tall, Jaune's father still towered over even him. He stuck out a massive hand, and the man shook it.

"James! It's been too long!" His father patted the man on the back. Next to the man was a thin, willowy girl with long white hair and a serious look on her face. She was older than Jaune, from what he could tell, about the age one would be when they would be joining one of the four kingdom's Hunter Academy. She looked down at him with no emotion, and Jaune slowly hid behind his mother, looking nervous. She was beautiful, but in a scary way, like a very shiny knife.

"Alexander! How are you? And Violetta! Just as beautiful as I remember." James smiled warmly at Jaune's mother, who gave an amused smile and shook her head.

"James, you charmer." She waved her hand nonchalantly. "Who is this?" Violetta motioned to the young woman at James' side.

"Ah, this is Winter Schnee. Winter, this is my friend-" James began before Winter cut him off, stepping forward with a very practiced smile, curtsying.

"You must be Mr. Arc! I've heard so much about you. I must say, it was an honor practicing against you in ARES." Winter bowed, looking quite pleased with herself.

Alexander cocked a blond eyebrow. "Er, sorry?"

"The practice program you've been playing. You know, the one you and I have been practicing?" James included, putting a hand on Winter's head and ruffling her hair, much to her poorly hidden annoyance.

Jaune's father frowned and shook his head. "James, I haven't been playing anything. I don't do Scroll games, I've kept telling you."

The General of the Atlas army tilted his head. "But...that...doesn't make any sense!" He ran a hand through his hair, face twisted in confusion. "The signal for the games came directly from this house, Alex!"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about." His father frowned, crossing his arms. "Hell, I gave that game to my son, Jaune. He enjoys those sorts of things."

James laughed. " _Very_ funny, Alex. It's like you're telling me that your...what, ten year old son defeated me in a highly advanced, intricately detailed military training simulator?"

"Wait. What military training simulator?"

"ARES, Alex. I sent it to you to keep your skills sharp!" James frowned. Jaune found himself growing nervous. Was he in trouble? The girl in the white hair was glaring at him now and he hid fully behind his mother, sweating nervously in his suit. "You're ArcAngel, right?"

Alexander rolled his eyes. "I told you countless times, I don't play Scroll games!"

"Then who was it that Winter and I had been defeated by?! You must be ArcAngel!"

Jaune's father went silent, blinking slowly before he turned to Jaune, whose blue eyes widened. "Jaune...you've...been playing that game an awful lot lately, haven't you?"

The young blond boy's eyes widened and he nodded wordlessly, still terrified that he was in trouble for some reason or another. James and Winter both laughed this time, shaking their heads. "Alexander, you were always terrible with jokes. At least try to make me believe what you're trying to trick me into believing! You could have said one of your Hunter daughters had been playing! I might have believed that!"

"Well, that I guess could be the case-" Alexander began, frowning.

"I-I'm ArcAngel!" Jaune shouted. He didn't want his sisters getting in trouble! He stepped forward, clenching his fists nervously, his blue eyes staring up into the eyes of the Very Important Man with all the will he could muster.

James laughed again, but this laugh was a little less enthusiastic, and Winter had starting glaring at him again, making him nervous once more. "Hahaha, Alex, seriously, joke's over."

Alexander tapped his chin and slowly turned to his son. "Jaune. I want you to be honest with me. Have any of your sisters been playing your game?"

"No! It's just been me!" Jaune replied back, hoping his father would believe him. If anyone was going to get in trouble for...whatever it was, it would be him. "I swear!"

James blinked and frowned, shaking his head. "Hasn't your father taught you not to lie?"

"I'M NOT LYING!" Jaune shouted angrily at the Very Important Man, clenching his fists again, his eyes tearing up.

Alexander's hand fell upon his shoulder. "How about this. Why don't we have a game then? Jaune versus..."

"Me." Winter replied, glaring wrathfully at Jaune. "I don't want General Ironwood to waste his time on a poor joke."

James nodded. "Very well. We'll test this son of yours...but I do hope this isn't a waste of time, Alex."

Jaune's father gently ruffled his hair as if to comfort his son, narrowing his eyes at the General. "If my son says he's telling the truth, then I believe him. My boy would never lie to his father. If it's proof you want..." Alexander looked down at Jaune with a smile. "Then it's proof you're going to get."

 _ **Author's Note: Woo! Last fic I'll be writing for a while. This one is...an odd bird, compared to my others. Consider it an experiment; a foray into a slightly more serious fiction. Not angsty or depressing (at least not mostly) but serious. Something trying to reflect the feel of the actual RWBY, with some changes. I can't guarntee that this will be that incredible, but I've wanted to give this a try anyway. Jaune seems to be tactically minded in the series normally, so I've wanted to write a Jaune who actually had that nurtured from day one, as opposed to simply having to wing it on the fly.**_

 _ **Now for those of you who are worried that I'm biting off more than I can chew, I plan to see if I can release a chapter a week in a rotating manner. Starting next month, I plan to release a chapter a week, starting off with Immortal, followed by Moonlit Sonata, then Ninja in Love, and then finally Mastermind.**_

 _ **This is LaughingLefou signing off, and remember to leave a review!**_


	2. Icebreaker

**Mastermind**

 **Chapter 2: Icebreaker**

* * *

It had been an hour since the contest began, and James Ironwood, General of the Atlas Military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy knew only one thing.

Even if Jaune Arc hadn't been the person who'd defeated he and Winter in ARES, Ironwood _needed_ the young boy to join his academy. Jaune had proven himself to be an absolute genius thus far, especially for someone at his young age. He and Winter were currently an hour deep into a four versus four duel of Hunters. At first, Winter had been her usual haughty self, planning on utterly crushing the young man, but it was slowly dawning on her, as well as Ironwood, and Jaune's family, that the young boy was a _lot_ better than any of them had even considered. Winter had already lost one of her Hunters, and another was currently heavily wounded. To make matters worse, the random situation generator had summoned packs of Grimm, forcing the two teams to stop fighting to fight off Grimm.

"Alex..." Ironwood whispered, eyes wide. "This is...astonishing! Your son is incredible!"

Alex couldn't reply, his eyes wide and jaw hanging open. Jaune was pulling off incredible tactics and implementing complex strategies. His son, his _eleven year old son_ , was currently giving a girl who was six years his senior and heavily trained by a Combat School for this exact sort of thing, a difficult time!

Ironwood watched as Winter led her team to a clearing in the woods, searching around for something. _Ah, she's noticed the signs of a Hunter cache._ Ironwood nodded his approval, even though the elder Schnee girl couldn't see it. Looking for supplies out in the wilderness was a wise idea; having scouts place supply caches was an oft used strategy. The white-haired girl smiled as she found traces of a false stump in the clearing and investigated it. However, her cheer soon turned to shock, then ire when she noticed that the supplies were missing. No, not missing.

Destroyed.

She glared over the top of her screen, white brow twitching furiously as her icy eyes gazed upon her opponent, his own sapphire blue eyes fixated upon his screen. Ironwood gave a low whistle. Jaune, having been full up on supplies, had destroyed the cache and wandered off. Winter Schnee turned back to her own screen, and bit back a curse word that her father would have smacked her around the head for having dared to utter. To say that the elder Schnee girl was caught off guard would have been a massive understatement. How was she to know that this boy, six years her younger, would have held such skill?! She doubled her focus on the screen, trying to ignore everything around her, trying to ignore the fact that the man she held the most respect for, _and_ one of the greatest living military commanders in all of Remnant was watching her.

Jaune however, didn't seem to feel that stress. Instead, the young boy was having fun once more, really enjoying himself. He was surprised to finally meet 'Ice_Queen,' but also slightly disappointed. She wasn't the most pleasant person. She kept glaring at him, and huffing and just generally being mean. Not to mention that she'd kept insisting that he was lying about playing ARES earlier, which really got him cross. Now, however, he was in full focus. The Grimm were nothing more than an appetizer for his true goal. His team had torn through the Grimm with almost no effort, taking minimal damage. After that, he'd started tracking his opponent's movements. If the last few matches he'd played against her were any indication, he knew what she was planning.

As the minutes continued to tick by, Jaune's mother, father and sisters were sitting, slack jawed and boggle eyed as the youngest Arc continued to force Winter into a metaphorical (and possibly even literal) corner. The four Hunters under Jaune's control made their way through the forest trees, using the cover and dead of night to approach Winter unawares, the Schnee girl too distracted by the fact that the third member of her team had just bled out from having to keep moving to avoid both Grimm, and the opposing team.

Ironwood could tell Winter was starting to get worried, and angry to boot. She was making mistakes, leading her remaining two Huntsmen all over the woods, trying to find Jaune and ignoring the fact that she was leaving an extremely easy trail for Jaune to follow. His team was already getting in position to flank her and utterly decimate her team. At this point, the general was more than willing to accede that the young man had been responsible for defeating his current star pupil.

The battle wasn't over however, and Winter had her team go back to back, watching everywhere for Jaune's team. Still, Ironwood was already ready to chalk this up to a loss in the elder Schnee girl's book. Not that he minded; the girl could use a lesson in humility. She had a temper hidden underneath all that ice, and perhaps being defeated by someone so young would remind her that she wasn't invincible. Everyone watched with baited breath for Jaune's next move.

It was as swift as it was graceful, and deadly. One second, Winter had been tensely waiting for Jaune to make a move, her two remaining Hunters circling back to back, the Schnee girl trying desperately to ignore the fact that her Hunter's morale had plummeted. The next? Jaune's Hunters literally appeared out of the trees in their blind spots, and the battle began. Jaune's team fell upon them with brutal efficiency, his team utilizing scythes, swords, guns and fists to devastating effect and when the virtual dust settled, the result was clear.

Winter had lost, and decisively so. The white haired girl stared at her scroll, unblinking and unmoving, her expression emotionless. "I...lost..."

Ironwood stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We all do. What matters isn't that you lost, but what lessons you learned from this."

"Lessons?" Winter slowly looked up at Ironwood, blinking slowly.

"Indeed. For instance..." The General turned to Jaune who was grinning widely. "I've learned to never underestimate my opponent...no matter who they may appear to be."

The Schnee girl gave a sigh and slumped forward like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "I shouldn't be surprised, to be defeated by the son of Alexander the Great..."

Meanwhile, Jaune's parents and sisters (Celeste, Melody, Tiffany and Serena) crowded around him, his sisters talking his ear off while his father simply placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a knowing and proud smile. "Did I do good, Dad?"

Alexander smiled, his eyes crinkling. "You did incredible, Jaune."

Violetta hugged Jaune, earning a whine from him. "Oh, let your mother hug you Jaune! I can't believe it! You led your team flawlessly!"

Melody chimed in, excitement clear in her tone. "Heck yeah! Little Bro is gonna be an awesome team leader!"

Ironwood stroked his chin, humming quietly to himself. "Very impressive." The room seemed to suddenly go quiet as Alexander's face slowly drew into a frown. Ironwood, much to everyone's surprise, stepped forward with a laugh. "Your daughter is right, Alex! That was absolutely incredible! Jaune has really taken after you, Alexander." The tall General placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Now, I know your family tends to run more towards Signal and Beacon for your chosen Hunter schools, but Alex, I can tell you right now, I can have your son on the fast track to an officer should you give him the choice of joining Atla-"

" _No._ "

It was only a single word, but there was enough weight and force behind it to completely bring the entire room to a standstill. Alexander shrugged off the General's hand and Jaune shook when he noticed the look on his father's face. It was terrifying, a cold look filled with anger. Even Winter Schnee's eyes widened in surprise and fear at the look on the ex-military commander's face.

"A-Alex," Ironwood began, trying to nervously laugh off the sudden suffocating tension that had filled the room, "You can't tell me that you plan to prevent Jaune from going to a huntsman school, are you? You saw it just as well as I did; your son is a genius! You'd be denying Remnant another Arc who could change the world!"

"I said, **no**!" Alexander roared, the entire room falling into a terrified silence. Even Violetta was looking at her husband with a concerned glance. Winter looked frightened, shrinking away from the mountain of a man. Jaune shook, looking nervously about. "I want to hear nothing more about this!" With that last decree, the eldest Arc stormed off, his stomping sounding through the house, followed by the slamming of a door.

Ironwood swallowed and nodded. "As you wish." He glanced down at Jaune who looked unsure of what to do or say. "Winter?" Stunned, scared and thoroughly defeated, the elder Schnee girl could only numbly nod her compliance, icy blue eyes staring off into space as she tried to register what was going on. "Let...let's go back to the ship for now." The General turned to Violetta. "I'm very sorry, Violetta."

The Arc matriarch shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I don't know what's gotten over my husband, but I'll go talk to him. You aren't going to leave so soon, are you?"

Ironwood nervously scratched the back of his head, an action out of place for such a stoic looking man. "I think I may have offended your husband..."

"Nonsense. You're free to stay around; I was planning on making dinner for guests, and I'm not going to stop now. It _is_ the Feast of Saints, after all. My husband is being pissy for some reason and I intend to find out why." Violetta then turned to Jaune, who was being comforted by his sisters, all of whom looked just as confused by the sudden shift in tone as the rest of the room was. "Jaune, honey? You aren't in trouble, I promise. We're all very proud of you."

Ironwood nodded down at the young man. "Indeed. That was absolutely astonishing what you did, especially for your age. Did you want to play a game against me while your mother and father talk?"

Almost instantly, the young blond boy's mood improved, and he quickly hopped back into the chair he'd been playing on earlier, blue eyes shining. "Uh-huh!"

With a smile, Ironwood pulled out his scroll and synced it up to the larger scroll where Winter had been sitting. "Looks like we'll be staying here, Winter. Pull up a chair and watch closely; you might learn a thing or two."

Winter nodded slowly, sitting down and blinking owlishly. With a musical introduction, ARES started up and Ironwood looked over to Jaune. "How does another 4v4 sound, Jaune?"

"That works for me!" Jaune exclaimed happily.

"That works for me, _sir._ " Winter muttered, crossing her arms and affixing Jaune with an icy stare.

"Now, now," Ironwood began in an almost fatherly tone, "Young Jaune here isn't one of my troops, nor is he a student. There's no need for him to refer to me as such."

Winter blanched, but quickly recovered. "Y-yes, but it would still be polite, sir."

Jaune, however, paid her no mind. Narrowed eyes and widened smile showed his focus on his screen as he equipped and selected his team of Hunters. Ironwood, catching a glimpse of the team he selected, gave a tilt of one eyebrow. "That...that's an interesting team of Hunters, Jaune. Why did you pick them?"

Jaune scratched his head for a few moments before answering. "Well, I like the guy with the scythe. He looks cool. Oh, and the fist guy is really useful too." His cheeks went pink as he continued, "The girl with the silver eyes is really pretty, and the girl with the black hair is broken, so I think all together, they make a great team."

With a chuckle, Ironwood shook his head. "Your instincts are top notch, although your reasoning could use a bit of work. You picked a fairly famous team from Beacon, Team STRQ."

At that, Winter seemed to bristle, but she kept silent, watching the two as the screens prepared to start the game. "Ready, Jaune?"

"Yep! Let's do this!" Jaune excitedly shouted, almost leaping out of his seat.

Ironwood smiled, but focused his attention. Winter may have underestimated the apparent prodigy, but Ironwood would do no such thing. ARES booted the area, the ruins of Mount Glenn, and the game began…

* * *

"Alex, what the hell was that?"

Alexander Arc didn't look up from his workbench. He'd retreated to the garage, as he normally did when he needed to cool his head, and began to tinker with his hunting rifle. The door to the garage clicked shut and he could hear his wife approach. "Violetta," Alexander began, "We've discussed this. Jaune isn't going to become a huntsman."

"I didn't agree with it then, and I sure don't agree with it now." Violetta's footsteps stopped. "And look at me when I'm talking to you!"

The mountain of a patriarch looked over to his wife's glaring expression, almost seeming to cringe. "Violetta, listen-"

"No, _you_ listen. You snapped at James, scared that poor Schnee girl _and_ your son, because you're too scared of what _could_ happen?"

Alexander sighed and rubbed at his face. "Violetta, you know what it's like! The job of a huntsman isn't some glorious and exotic job like they portray it in the media! We've known the pain of losing friends, partners, allies! We've come so close to death on numerous occasions, saved only by the throw of a dice! Between the Grimm, the White Fang and the human criminals out there, we're risking our boy's life if he follows in our footsteps, and I won't, I _can't_ bury my own son!"

"And what of our daughters? Everyone of them is a Huntress, are they not?" Violetta countered, arms akimbo.

"I worry myself sick every time they leave to go on a mission, Violetta, you know that! I wish more than anything that they'd taken another job!" The larger man explained.

Violetta sighed and stepped even closer, embracing her husband. "You were always one to wear your heart on your sleeve. Alex, our daughters can take care of themselves, and as far as your son is concerned, you saw how sharp he was! Sure, it was only a simulation, but to be able to outwit someone who has to be at least five years his senior as easily as he did, should show you that he's capable of holding his own. Wasn't it you who spent nearly every night of his early childhood, reading him stories of your ancestors, talking of their heroism and bravery, and yet you're going to deny him the chance to join them?"

"At the cost of his life? I can't." Alex grumbled, his gaze elsewhere.

"And have your own son hate you?"

"I'd rather him be alive to hate me than otherwise." Alex's voice was gruff, but there was a slight waver, as though he were doubting even his own words. This, as in all things, was picked up quickly by Violetta.

"Listen to yourself, Alex! You're refusing to let Jaune grow up! There have been changes in the Academy system since you and I were put through our paces. Things are safer now, and students aren't sent into things before they're ready." Violetta retorted.

"There are things he will _never_ be ready for. Things I was never ready for..." Alex trailed off, a look of pain crossing his face. Violetta's arms tightened around him and the giant of a man seemed to shrink in on himself. "All I want to do is spare Jaune the pain of what I've gone through. I've lost friends, Violetta...I've almost lost you too..."

"But you didn't." Violetta lifted the man's head to look into her eyes. "You can't let fear of what could happen prevent you from letting yourself move forward, or in this case, your own son, from taking actions. If you do, then nothing good can happen either. You fear that Jaune may lose his life, but what of those who could lose their lives without his intervention? I was willing to concede your point in so much as Jaune never showed any particular skill toward combat or physical effort, but with a mind like his, Alex, he could help so many..."

Alexander sighed deeply again, drawing his lips into a thin line. He fell silent for a few moments, then after for what seemed like a passing eternity, he spoke. "You...you're right." The massive man at last, let go of his wife who affixed him with a soft smile. Alexander gently moved aside a dark violet lock of hair from his wife's eyes. "Fine. You win. I'll...talk things over with Ironwood."

Violetta stepped back, smiling and nodding. "Good. And apologize while you're at it."

Alexander hung his head in shame, a comical sight coming from a man who looked like he could bench press an Ursa Major without breaking a sweat. "Yes, dear." The former military commander was forcefully turned around by his wife, and with a firm hand on his back, she marched him out of the garage, much to his obvious chagrin, if the red in his cheeks had anything to say about it. She continued to march the much larger man back into the living room, where Jaune and Ironwood were sitting across from each other, scroll screens up and running, and judging from the look on the General's face, things weren't going as he'd expected them to.

Winter was leaning forward, occasionally getting up to move herself for a better glimpse of the other person's screen before moving back. After a few switches of perspective, she sat back down, smirking. "Hm. You may have beaten me, but even a child such as yourself doesn't stand a chance against the General himself."

Jaune did not deign to respond, his focus entirely upon the game being played. It was Ironwood who spoke, instead. "Don't be so quick to judge, Winter." While his expression was stern, eyes narrowed, there was an almost glee in his voice, the kind of excitement that only came from a worthy challenge. "Unfortunately I didn't notice until just now, but Jaune losing control of the point was done on purpose." The General looked up over the top of the screen to catch Jaune's eye, who innocently smiled back in return.

The scenario the two were playing in was a point control type scenario, where one team had to take and keep control of a certain point until a timer ran out. Whoever had control of it in the end, was the winner. It was a simple goal. Early in the game, Jaune had control of the point, but it didn't take long for him to lose that point to Ironwood. However, things were starting to look bad for the General, as Jaune, utilizing the skills of his team to their fullest, had been performing a series of guerrilla hit and run style attacks on the General's position. The damage was minimal, but morale was starting to sink. "Sir? What do you mean?" Winter queried, confused as to why someone like Ironwood would have been believing the young boy's actions to be on purpose.

As if to answer the Schnee girl's question, something burst forth on Ironwood' screen. Grimm. Jaune's moral draining attacks were not only slowly draining the Aura of his troops, but with the plummeting morale of being forced to hold a position without the chance to attack back, the digital Grimm had noticed, and were proceeding to attack the General's troops now. "A defensible position in such a scenario puts the unit into a disadvantageous position, Winter. Jaune here noticed that early on. When I attacked, Jaune made it appear as though he were retreating, or being pushed back, when really his actions were calculated. Now I've got not only the Grimm to contend with, but Jaune's forces as well."

Winter bit her thumb, her expression filled with worry. "But you can still win, can't you, General?"

Ironwood gave a small smile. "The battle isn't over yet, Winter. I hope you aren't getting too confident, Mr. Arc. The Grimm aren't too much of a challenge."

Jaune looked up, matching smile for smile. "True, but what do your supplies look like?"

Ironwood opened his mouth to speak, and froze. There were a few quick taps of his finger on the screen before his smile turned wry. "Attrition."

"You really can't afford to split your team up in order to search for supply caches, can you? You team is comprised of ranged fighters, all of whom require dust and ammo. My team, on the other hand, is much more melee focused." Jaune explained, his intelligent discourse at odds with the boys youthful appearance. "Eventually you're going to run out of ammo, and while you've certainly got melee capabilities..." Jaune trailed off, and his smile turned downright predatory. "My team's better."

Ironwood went quiet, his expression becoming more joyous. Whereas Winter was worried about seeing her mentor and idol defeated, Ironwood seemed excited to run into someone who could match wits with him, and at such an early age. His fingers flew across the screen quickly, sending units to deal with Grimm. As the seconds turned to minutes, Jaune, having decided that waiting around was taking too long, decided to speed things up, and in the middle of the fight, team STRQ made their appearance in digital form.

At this point, it was mostly a rapid fire back and forth of commands on the parts of both boy and General, and when one move was made, another counter-move was almost instantly played. Winter eyes widened and she leaned forward again, staring agitatedly at Ironwood' screen as the General did his best to find some sort of advantage. Then, it happened.

Both combatants were down to a single man, Qrow on one side, and an unnamed Atlas soldier on the other. Blades clashed. Dice were thrown. A single explosion erupted on the screens of both fighters and Jaune gave a cry. "No!"

Ironwood actually found himself releasing a breath he'd been holding unconsciously as he watched Qrow's Aura drop to 0% on screen. Victory, was his, but only by a hair's breadth. Winter cheered falling back into her seat. "What was that, sir?!"

"A mine, I'd placed there toward the beginning of the game. I'd used it as a defensive formation, and was lucky for it not to have been tripped by the Grimm. I'd honestly gambled on it still being there. If it hadn't been for that, Jaune would have most certainly won." Ironwood smiled once more at Jaune over the top of their screens. Jaune looked, unsurprisingly, a tad upset. Ironwood gave a laugh. "Don't concern yourself Mr. Arc, you did absolutely _incredible_. I've never been pushed that hard in ages, and it was an honor to face you in this simulator."

Jaune looked back up grinning. "Really?"

"Indeed. You should be extremely proud of yourself, Jaune." The General got to his feet, chuckling. "I would most certainly not mind facing off against you in the future, Jaune. Time and circumstances allowing, mind."

It was the voice of Alexander cutting through the room that interrupted Ironwood' train of thought. "That chance, James, might come sooner than you'd think." The large man gave a sigh and scratched the back of his head, adopting a sheepish expression as the General, Winter and Jaune all turned to face him. "I'm...sorry, for my earlier outburst, Ironwood, and...maybe I'm being a bit too hasty. Do you honestly think…?" He trailed off, looking down at his son, who stared back in confusion and curiosity.

"Alex, your son is...nothing short of a prodigy. Give him a few years, and I wouldn't be surprised if he could outwit the two of us on instinct alone. If you let him train with us in Atlas, I can assure, you, I can bring out the best in young Jaune here." Ironwood looked down at Jaune, who, even though still not understanding the situation, smiled back.

"...Alright, James. Let's all eat some dinner first, and we can talk shop afterward..." With that, Alex turned to his wife, who smiled and then leaned over to smile at Ironwood and Winter. "And that means I want the two of you joining us. It's the Feast of Saints, and I'd be upset if the two of you spent it in that drafty, cold ship."

Ironwood nodded. "It'd be an honor. Winter?"

The Schnee girl bowed low. "Thank you, Mrs. Arc. I'm honored to join you as well."

With that, the entire group made their way to the kitchen, Ironwood and Alexander chatting of much more light-hearted matters…

* * *

 **A/N: Um...don't really have a whole lot to say here. New chapter, setting some stuff up. This won't be a harem fic, and while this will have humorous parts, it isn't going to be a humor fic either. This is going to be played as seriously as I can make it. Hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

 **B/N: "This won't be a harem fic." Lefou, you're killing me. You'd better at least make it Winter Knight. That ship is criminally under-represented.**


	3. Conditional

**Mastermind**

 **Chapter 3: Conditioned**

* * *

The sun had just dipped below the horizon when Ironwood and Alex had made their way out onto the back porch of the Arc family home. Their home was a fairly large one, having been built shortly after the famed war hero, Gaius Aurelius Arc, had retired after the Great War. While not a fully-fledged manor, it was big enough to house the extensive Arc family even to the very day. The back porch was a beautiful thing of redwood, polished and upkept to perfection by Alex himself during his own retirement. The two large men settled down in a pair of oversized chairs, big enough to almost be considered couches by anyone smaller. There was silence, as Alex palmed a pair of cigars from a shirt pocket and passed one to Ironwood.

The night was particularly warm for a winter evening, to the point where there wasn't a bit of snow on the ground to be seen. Alex pulled out a cigar clipper and snipped the end off of his cigar, passing it over to Ironwood before bringing a large gold lighter to the end of his cigar. A few puffs and rolls later, and the end of it began to glow with the cherry red of the lit end, a cloud of acrid smoke being released into the air. With the second click of a lighter, Ironwood's cigar was lit up and he too took his own long breath of the cigar. Both men sank deeper into the large wooden chairs and stared out onto the Arc lands, the lights of the nearby village barely visible over the treeline that surrounded the house.

Finally, Alex spoke, his voice low and calm. "It's funny. I never truly understood fear until I had children."

"Hm?" Ironwood murmured, tapping off the end of the cigar into an ashtray between the two.

Without looking at him, Alex continued, "I've faced Grimm, from the large to the small. I've tangoed with everything ranging from Creepers to Chimera. I've laughed in the face of a Nuckelavee...and yet, nothing, absolutely nothing has filled me with more terror than the thought of burying one of my children." Alexander took a long smoke and held it, releasing it after a few seconds. James remained quiet, smoking his own cigar, appreciating the taste. Silence continued, with only the sounds of children in the background from within the house to interrupt it. Winter, much to the surprise of not only the Arc family, but Ironwood as well, had ended up getting along with the Arc sisters and had even joined them in fussing over Jaune's refusal to eat his vegetables. Needless to say, the boy was less than pleased over having one more person insisting upon him eating healthier. "...Every time one of them goes off on one of their missions, I worry. I'm terrified that I'll get a phone call, telling me that they didn't make it. Or worse, they come home, but left something of themselves behind."

"And that's what's stopping you from allowing your son to join an Academy?" James queried.

Alexander nodded. "Admittedly, yes." Another cloud of cigar smoke was released into the air. "Though, Violetta may have changed my views, a bit. I suppose there's an equal chance that if I allowed Jaune to join an Academy, things could be boring." The mountain of a man sighed and leaned forward, staring out over the green grass of his own backyard.

"Alex, things are...different. Atlas is much more centralized. Jaune would have a large number of allies at his back. This isn't Vale, Alex. If your son joins Atlas Academy, he'll have more than just a few people to fight beside. We've got psychologists in order to take care of those who've run into traumatizing situations. More importantly, Jaune would most likely become an officer, and probably never see combat." Ironwood explained.

"Tch." Alex scoffed, taking another breath from his cigar. He tapped his cigar clean and affixed his companion with a hard glance. "So insistent, aren't you? Don't try and pull a fast one on me though, James. I know Atlesian politics all too well."

At this, Ironwood bristled. "You've no right to speak, Alexander."

The larger man's only response was to grin wildly, as though seeing his friend's irritation was some form of joke. "Perhaps. Though, I don't speak of your presence on the Council. I speak more of the rest of Altas' ruling body."

Ironwood calmed down and he slumped in his chair with a groan. "I can only do so much, Alex. You know that."

"Alright, alright. I won't push." Alex fell silent, continuing to smoke his cigar. More commotion could be heard from inside.

Time passed. How long, neither man could be sure. For Ironwood, it would be too fast; soon he'd have to leave the peaceful Valian countryside to go back to Atlas, and a mountain of paperwork and cut-throat politics. For Alexander, it would be too long, as his mind wandered and thought and decided. Both men's cigars burned down to their ends, and both men put them out, almost simultaneously.

"...Alex, I-" Ironwood began.

" **Jaune! Come out back!** " Alex shouted, interrupting Ironwood's speech. There was a silence, and a few moments passed before the door to the back opened up, revealing the young blond boy. Alex smiled. "Take a seat Jaune. Don't worry, you're not in any trouble."

Jaune, confused but curious, followed his father's instructions and sat himself in a swinging loveseat that faced away from the yard. The young boy kicked his legs as his father scratched his head, drawing his lips into a thin line, his expression mirroring his internal struggles. Ironwood stared at Alex, awaiting the man's speech. Finally, after a long while, Alex finally spoke. "James. I...if I let Jaune join Atlas, it'll be only under a few conditions." Ironwood began to open his mouth to object, but Alex held up a hand. "Hang on. Not all of them are for you. In fact, only one is, but it'll be one that I will be _insisting_ on." Ironwood frowned slightly, but didn't respond. His attention turned to Jaune, who was looking slightly excited, as though he were realizing what was going on. Alexander too, turned to his son. "Jaune. I want you to listen closely. I will allow you to join an Academy, but I'm placing some conditions. The first of these, is that you will **not** be bringing Crocea Mors with you."

Jaune's expression almost instantly fell and he looked hurt. Seeing someone so innocent look so devastated even had Ironwood frowning even deeper at Alex. The larger man, however, simply laughed and extended a hand forward, ruffling his son's hair. "Jaune, you get me wrong. I'm not saying you can't wield it because you aren't worthy. Crocea Mors is...it's a shackle."

"Huh?" Jaune tilted his head in confusion.

"Jaune, if you do this, if you become a Huntsman, Officer, or whatever, I don't want you to do it out of obligation to the Arc name. I want you to do it, because you want to. I'll be proud of you, no matter what you decide to do. Crocea Mors would simply just be a symbol that shows that you're doing this out of some obligation toward our family name." Alex explained.

Jaune blinked owlishly, only partially grasping what his father had been getting at, but nodded slowly. "I...think I get it?"

Alex continued. "Besides, look at the cool weapons your sisters have! If I had access to half the technological wonders your sister's have got, I'd have chosen something else a long time ago. Crocea Mors is an antique, a relic of a bygone era. We've got dust, mecha-shifting weapons and a thousand other far superior tools than a simple sword and shield."

"That's right," Ironwood added, catching the young boy's attention. "Our school can supply you with a variety of whatever weapon suits you best. You may even find that a sword and shield may not be the best weapon for you."

"Exactly. Give it time. Weapons are pretty interesting, and you might find something incredibly awesome that you're exceptionally good at." Alex smiled at his son, who hesitantly smiled back, and nodded. "Good. Now, second condition: I want to hear back from you every two weeks. I don't care what you're doing, where you are, or what's going on. I want you to call me, even if it's just to say hello. I will march myself over to Atlas and physically remove you if you don't, understand?" Alex's tone had turned firm and Jaune swallowed, blue eyes wide.

"Y-yes, dad."

"James? Is this going to be an issue?" Alex queried, fixing Ironwood with an aside glance.

The black haired General shook his head. "Not at all. This isn't going to be boot camp; the academy students have free time, and Jaune can use some of that to contact you with regular updates."

Alex nodded. "Excellent. Now, I have just one other condition, and this one is specifically for you, James. When, and if, Jaune manages to graduate from preparatory school, you _will_ give him the choice between either continuing at Atlas Academy...or joining Beacon."

Ironwood began to sputter. "W-what?"

"I'm serious. I know how you tend to... _insist_ that students remain in the Atlas army after graduation. If Jaune here wants to continue on, then fine. However, should he find Atlas politics to be too much to deal with, I expect him to be given the option to join Beacon to become an independent Huntsman. Furthermore, I do not want to hear that you've tried to coerce him." Alex warned.

Ironwood began to speak, but stopped. Alex was staring at him with a deadly serious expression and he found himself at a loss for words. Sure, he could push the issue, but...no. The Arc clan held far too much political sway with the Valian council, despite not having any of them on it. To try and force their son to remain in Atlas would be grounds for a political clusterfuck, one that wouldn't be justified by a single student, no matter how much of a prodigy he was. He almost snorted. While he was able to hold two seats due to the military being fiercely loyal to him, the Arcs were given their power by their impossible amount of allies, mustered up by a decent number of the Arc sisters.

With a deep sigh, Ironwood finally, and slowly nodded. "Fine. You're really twisting my arm behind my back here, Alex. Do you really think-"

"Yes I do." Alexander interrupted him. "Look, I'm your friend, but I also know how you operate, James, and I won't see that same operation manipulate my only son."

Jaune scratched his head, and hesitantly spoke up. "So...does that mean that I...can be a Huntsman?"

Alex smiled wryly and nodded. "It does. It won't be easy, Jaune. Atlas is far from home, and we won't be able to visit you very often."

The young boy looked uneasy at this, but Alex found himself proud of his son as he watched a steel fall over his son's eyes and he looked back up, nodding. "I-I can do it."

Alexander turned to Ironwood. "Alright James. How is this going to work?"

Ironwood thought for a few moments, scratching his chin. "Well, admittedly, the year would start a day or two after we get back to Atlas. It's one of the reasons I'm going to be swamped with paperwork is all of the new recruits. Assuming you'd not mind letting Jaune leave with us in a day or two, we could have him start immediately."

The larger of the two men grimaced. "A bit sooner than expected. Then again, he'd have to wait a full year otherwise, wouldn't he? Ugh. His mother and sisters are going to kill me."

"Wasn't it Violetta's idea to let Jaune do this in the first place?" Ironwood queried, his tone holding an amused lilt to it.

"Hmph. It was, until she finds out that Jaune would be leaving so soon. I'll probably end up the one in trouble for all of this." Alex turned to Jaune...only to find that his son had already rushed off and into the house, whooping and hollering. The father turned back to the General and shook his head slowly. "Whelp. Cat's out of the bag."

Ironwood smirked and gave a sharp huff of a laugh. "Family...I'm jealous." Alex cocked an eyebrow, adopting a sympathetic and questioning expression, but Ironwood didn't meet his gaze, instead standing to his feet, his own expression becoming sharp. "Let's head inside; I've got some extra paperwork, thanks to you."

Alex shrugged and chuckled. "Hey, this was _your_ idea. Don't start turning into my wife." The two men laughed and proceeded to make their way inside…

…

"Alex? What's this I hear about Jaune leaving _**tomorrow?!**_ "

"See, what'd I tell you, James? My fault."

 **[Two Days Later]**

It wasn't until he was staring up at the colossal airship that Ironwood and Winter had arrived in, did Jaune finally realize what he was getting ready for. He'd packed, and spent the past couple of days spending time with family. His mother, worried at first, had cooled quickly and along with his sisters, helped Jaune come to terms with the scary reality of leaving his family to finally become a Huntsman. Most importantly, Jaune had spent time with his father, who, despite his trepidation of letting Jaune go, spoke greatly of how proud he was of Jaune. The young boy swore that he'd make his family proud, that he'd become a Huntsman of renown.

Ironwood had been supportive as well, telling Jaune of how life was at Atlas Preparatory School, only serving to excite the young boy even more. This, however, was tempered by Winter's commentary, which only served to irritate the young boy with her strict temperament and insistence upon following rules. Ironwood had already put his paperwork in the night it was determined that he'd be joining Atlas, and had Jaune's outfit already ready to go for him the moment he'd arrive.

Time, however, quickly flew, and it was all too soon before Jaune found himself hugging his mother and sisters. "We'll miss you little bro!"

"We'll make sure to write!"

"I'll send a care package!"

Jaune held tightly onto his mother, doing his best not to tear up. His mother smiled softly at him and placed a hand on his head. "Jaune, we'll do our best to visit you during your schooling, and call you often, okay? Don't worry about us, just focus on doing your best. You've done wonderfully, Jaune and I can't wait to see what you can become in the future."

Jaune sniffed and nodded, stepping back from his mother, only to turn to his father. Alexander smiled and ruffled his hair roughly. The older man looked pleased, but his gaze appeared to waver, as though the man were holding back a few tears of his own. "I'll miss you, Jaune. I promise, we'll be in touch. Call me if there's even an issue, and I-no, _we'll_ all come running."

"O-okay, dad…" Jaune murmured, holding onto his backpack with the few clothes he'd been allowed to bring, along with some odds and ends.

Alex turned to Ironwood. "James? Take care of my boy. I'm entrusting him to you."

The tall General placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder and nodded. "And your trust is well placed, I assure you. Your son is going to do incredible things, I can feel it."

Alex nodded and looked back down to Jaune. "Jaune? Good luck. Do your best…" He trailed off, lost in thought for a few moments before shrugging and adding, "And wash your face every morning."

"Daaaad!" Jaune whined, earning a laugh from everyone present, Winter excluded. She simply huffed and tapped her foot impatiently.

"We...should get going. Come on Jaune, I'll take you to see the control room, if you'd like." Ironwood warmly replied, earning a tentative smile from the boy. Jaune took one more look at his family, smiling and waved, his family waving back. With that, the young boy turned on his heel, and followed Ironwood up the gangplank to the airship before him, and took his first step into history itself…

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter, fresh off the press! A few things I want to cover real quick. One, yes, Jaune will be attending Beacon after Atlas Preparatory School. As for why, we'll be discovering that over the next few chapters. Two, there will be a couple of time skips over the next two chapters. I know some of you would have liked this to be an "Ender's Game" like story where we go over his entire schooling, but I've got little interest in telling that story. Sorry. Third…**

 **Time to lose a few fans.**

 **I'm not going Winter Knight. I know, I know, a lot of you are disappointed, but...Winter and Jaune just feel too different for a good romantic relationship. This isn't going to be "The Heat" Jaune (btw, if you haven't seen that yet, check it out, it's pretty good) but closer to canon Jaune in personality; goofy, fun-loving and admittedly a tad immature. The kind of guy who'd rather eat dinosaur chicken nuggets than a filet mignon while reading comic books. I just can't see him in a relationship with serious, by-the-book, refined Winter.**

 **Lastly, I have determined what Jaune's weapon is going to be. I'm not going to reveal it here, nor next chapter, but I'll give a couple of hints:**

 **It's ranged mode is going to be the heaviest firepower thus seen in RWBY carried by one person, on par if not greater than Coco's Minigun.**

 **It'll have the lowest firing rate out of any ranged weapon seen thus far in RWBY by a large margin.**

 **It has a melee form**

 **It's name will be Gungnir**

 **It's ranged mode uses non-standard ammunition.**

 **I'll give shout outs to anyone who manages to guess correctly! Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou.**

* * *

 **B/N: Don't worry guys, I'll slip in some Winter Knight for you! ;) (A/N: I will end you, Spoopy. Don't you** _ **dare**_ **hijack my work. :P)**


	4. Snowy Steel

**Mastermind**

 **Chapter 4: Snowy Steel**

* * *

 **[3 Years Later...]**

 **0500 Hours:** Jaune Arc awakens.

The mornings were the worst part of combat school in Jaune's opinion. It wasn't because of the early hours, although that never helped. No, it was the difficulty of trying to pull himself out from under the warm covers and into the cold air of Atlas proper. Even with heaters running in the squad barracks, the cold temperatures outside still somehow managed to seep their way into the cold, gray concrete walls. Still, at least the moment his feet hit the tile flooring and a jolt of cold ran through his skin, it _did_ help with waking up. The next thing he had to do was immediately turn around and proceed to make his bed. It wasn't required for most students, but most students weren't under the watchful and strict eye of one Winter Schnee, who'd demerit him if she caught his bed looking even a wrinkle out of order. He didn't know if she were around today, but he didn't want to risk it.

Seven minutes later, Jaune was sure his bed was as close to perfect as he could get it, and prayed to whatever deity happened to be listening that Winter was still off on one of her missions. His bed squared away, Jaune then proceeded to get dressed in his usual steel gray Atlas uniform. It was a culture shock when he'd found that his daily outfit was to be so colorless and uniform, a drastic difference from the custom created outfits most Valians tended to sport. The teachers had told him it was to inspire solidarity, but he found it to be a tad stifling. Still, with the outfit pressed and creased, it did look sharp, and it made him look every bit the military genius he'd been touted to be. Upon his right arm, a gold band had been embroidered with black block letters stating, **Squad Alpha**. Just below it, in smaller block letters, a title was proudly displayed: **Squad Leader**.

He wasn't alone in the room. The squad barracks were split up into two sleeping rooms and an adjoining common room. His bunkmate was also one of his squadmates, one Flynt Coal. Jaune looked over to said squadmate, who looked back, and the two nodded, Flynt giving a wordless grunt. They'd been bunkmates ever since the beginning of the year when Squad Alpha had first been formed, and since they'd been in such close proximity for so long, they could communicate in silent ways that only close male friends could. The two of them adjusted their uniforms for a few minutes more, then grabbed their scrolls and pocketed them, exiting the room.

In the common room, the two waited around for a few minutes more before their other two squadmates, Neon Katt and Ciel Soliel, entered into the room. Neon looked just as tired as Jaune felt and he gave a lazy wave. "Another day, another Lien, eh?"

Neon groaned, her bright orange hair straightened instead of in the twintails she preferred them in. "I'll pay whatever Lien I can if it means getting back to bed."

"Breakfast will have to do, kitten." Flynt replied, stifling a yawn. Out of the four of them, only Ciel looked energetic and ready to begin the day. In fact, she seemed almost a bt over excited, hopping up and down on the balls of her feet. Jaune looked over toward her and sighed.

"Ciel, how?"

She stopped. "How what, sir?"

Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose. Ciel was the super serious type, and had insisted upon referring to Jaune as 'sir,' as he was the squad leader, despite his repeated protests otherwise. "How can you have so much energy this early in the morning? The sun isn't even up."

"Sorry, sir, just excited to start another day of working to protect the people of Atlas." Ciel proclaimed.

Flynt rolled his eyes and Neon gave her look of furrowed brows. Jaune, however, couldn't help but smile. "Glad to hear it. Squad Alpha?" In an instant, the three other members of Squad Alpha snapped to attention and Jaune, despite his exhaustion, brought himself into fully upright position, looking every bit the leader he was. "Mess Hall. Let's get there before all the breakfast burritos are gone."

Neon giggled. "Double time, sir?"

Jaune mock glared at her, knowing that she purposefully called him sir to get on his nerves. "Double time, trainee Katt."

The entire squad laughed and the four of them made their way out of the dorm room, Ciel locking up behind them, and made their way toward the Mess Hall as they did each morning…

* * *

 **0530 Hours:** Squad Alpha arrives at Mess Hall.

Much to Jaune's infinite relief, they had been among the first students to have arrived there. A few teachers were already up, sipping on steaming mugs of coffee, cocoa or whatever warm drink they could get their hands on, no doubt a few of them having spiked their drinks for some added four got in line, waiting patiently to grab their breakfast. Food, like a lot of other commodities in Atlas Combat School, was a lot better than one would expect. It wasn't good old fashioned home cooking like he'd had back in Vale, but Jaune was never dreading meal time. HIs personal favorite was the Vacuo style breakfast burritos, that were _just_ spicy enough to be tasty without requiring a gallon of water to wash it down.

As with each morning since he'd gotten to know them, the rest of Squad Alpha had grabbed their usual meals: Ciel, a perfectly balanced breakfast, portioned to almost OCD levels; Flynt, a meal nearly mirrored to that of Jaune's, piled with a surplus of just enough bacon to reach comedic? levels, and Neon, who in her eternal desire to keep her svelte figure grabbed just enough to keep herself from becoming weak that day. The four, food attained, proceeded to seat themselves at their usual table in the corner of the room, which no matter how late they got to the Mess Hall, was always empty. It was sort of an unspoken rule among the Huntsmen in training; certain Squads had their personal territories, and one did not invade their territories.

Jaune himself was just about to bite into his burrito when something caught his eye. Ciel was fidgeting in her seat and occasionally glancing at him, then down at her scroll which was out and open by her. Trying to ignore her, Jaune took a bite of his burrito. Eggs, hash browns, bacon, cheese and dried Vacuoan peppers mixed together to create a glorious combination. He concentrated on his food, trying to ignore everything else. The sound of Ciel loudly and purposefully clearing her throat, however, forcefully brought him back to the present. He froze before taking another bite and slowly his gaze caught Ciel, who stared back at him expectantly. Jaune sighed deeply and slowly lowered his burrito. "Yes, Trainee Soliel, please read us the schedule for today."

Ciel smiled and adjusted herself fully upright in her seat. Flynt muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously similar to, 'scheduling fetish,' but Jaune chose not to respond. "Ahem," Ciel started off brightly, "Squad Alpha's schedule is as follows, sir. 0600 hours, we have class with Professor Polendina-"

"Oh thank god, an easy morning!" Neon cried out in relief while Ciel glared at her for the interruption.

" _As I was saying_ , 0800 hours, we have Grimm Combat Class with Captain Balthazar. Then, at 1015 hours- oh! You've got training with Specialist Schnee today! You're quite lucky, sir!" Jaune blinked and slowly, his face fell down into his plate of food, getting egg on his face. A soft whimpering noise issued forth from his slumped over form and Neon and Flynt exchanged sympathetic glances, with Neon gently rubbing Jaune's back in circles. Ciel didn't seem to notice, as she continued on blithely, getting into full swing with her schedule. "At 1200 hours, we have lunch, then at 1230 hours, you'll be meeting with Commander Barbarossa for our weekly Civil Mission."

Jaune's response was to groan louder, still face down in his food as though he were trying to drown himself in breakfast. Neon's face contorted. "Oh god, Commander Barbarossa? He always gives the _worst_ missions. If we have to do bodyguard duty for Mr. and Mrs. Slate one more time, I'm going to use that gun on either them, or myself."

Flynt laughed. "Can't blame you there. I'm pretty certain even our dear leader wants to beat them with the butt of a standard issue."

Jaune muttered darkly, but was cut off by Ciel's second irritated throat clearing. " _Excuse me_! Continuing on, after our Civil Mission, we have nothing else scheduled by the school, so we have the rest of the evening as free time- Assuming that you don't have anything planned for us, sir." Ciel quickly added.

Even face down in his food, Jaune could hear Neon mutter, "Ass kisser."

"Come on now, Neon." Jaune replied, his slightly stern tone at odds with his now egg smeared face as he picked himself up off of his breakfast.

"I gotta ask, man," Flynt started, lazily twirling his fork between his fingers absentmindedly, "What did you do to piss off the top brass?"

"Huh?" Jaune blinked in confusion as he wiped his face with a nearby napkin. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean you must have pissed _someone_ off, for them to keep sticking you with the Ice Queen herself."

"Excuse me!" Ciel retorted angrily, arms akimbo. "Training with Specialist Schnee is an honor! It's simply Atlas' way of making sure that Squad Leader Arc reaches his full potential in all subjects! N-not to say that you aren't skilled, sir."

Jaune stared silently at Ciel for a few moments before turning to Flynt. "I'm thinking it's revenge for having beaten her in front of General Ironwood when I was a kid. She's probably still pissed that she's never been able to beat me in ARES."

" _Sir!_ " Ciel admonished in shock.

The leader of Squad Alpha turned to Ciel, his expression deadpan. "Look Ciel, _you're_ not the one who has to train with her. She's a cruel, arrogant, self-absorbed taskmaster who has the worst case of OCD I've ever seen and…" Jaune trailed off, noting that his squadmates had gone pale. HIs face went somehow even more deadpan. "...and she's right behind me, isn't she?"

Jaune didn't need to look behind him to become acutely aware of said Specialist's icy stare boring into the back of his head. "No, please, continue Trainee Arc. I'm sure the opinion of someone who can't even properly make their own bed in accordance to Atlas guidelines holds considerable weight." Winter's tone was as icy as her name and Jaune swallowed nervously, nearly cringing. "I wouldn't say anything about proper conduct until you've at least learned how to adjust a top sheet without wrinkles. Oh, and I wouldn't be doing particularly straining physical activities before we get together. We'll be focusing on combat in training today."

It wasn't until the sound of Winter's heels clicking on the tile floor had faded to nothing, and a few seconds beyond that, that Jaune dared to turn around to make sure that she'd finally gone. "God," Neon muttered, "What a witch."

"Man, she's complaining about your freakin' bed too? I knew she had it in for you." Flynt added, shaking his head.

Ciel frowned, looking awkward. "W-well, I mean, i-if Squad Leader Arc hadn't said those things about her…"

Jaune shook his head. "It doesn't matter; she'd have acted like that even if I _hadn't_ said anything. She's been like that since I first started here. Never a single positive word from her." He sighed and looked down at his half eaten burrito. "I get the feeling like today is gonna suck…"

Neon, despite herself, couldn't help but grin. "So much for morale, sir."

Her only answer was Jaune rolling his eyes and digging back into his breakfast, and the three other members of Squad Alpha quickly followed suit…

* * *

 **0545 Hours:** Squad Alpha arrives at Professor Polendina's classroom.

Doctor Polendina was Jaune's favorite teacher at Atlas Combat School. There was something about the way he acted, a jovial old man who was reminiscent of Santa Claus. Unlike the other teachers, all of whom were part of Atlas military in some way or another, Gepetto Polendina was not. This came with the benefit of said teacher caring nothing for military convention, which meant that class with the stout, white bearded Doctor was a more relaxed affair. Wanting to maintain good reputation with Polendina, Jaune always made sure that Squad Alpha got to his class early.

"Jaune, my boy!" The doctor's jovial tones met Jaune as he poked his head into the classroom. The doctor taught the students of Atlas Combat school in basic engineering, a class that actually took place over the four years of Combat School. It wasn't a completely in-depth course, but it was enough to allow the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Atlas to maintain their more technologically advanced weaponry, create their own weaponry, and in a pinch, help to fix or repair minor issues with some of the Atlas mechs that made up a significant part of the Atlas military proper. Sure, Jaune could never replace an actual combat engineer, but he'd be better than nothing if it came down to it.

Doctor Polendina approached Jaune, looking every bit the rosy-cheeked, white bearded, Santa Claus-like figure. He clapped Jaune on the back, eyes glinting behind wire frame spectacles. "Good to see you all here!"

"Aw, Doctor Polendina," Neon began, smiling a smile complete with little fangs showing, "We wouldn't miss your class for anything!"

"Well, you do an old man proud, Ms. Katt. Please, please, sit." The doctor stepped aside and Jaune smiled, making his way into the classroom with its rows upon rows of illuminated screens, their holographic images throwing a blue light throughout the classroom. Squad Alpha sat themselves toward the front of the classroom, settling into their seats. As Neon began to fiddle with her scroll screen, no doubt checking her CCT mail, the doctor approached Jaune, leaning in conspiratorially.

"Good news, Mr. Arc." Doctor Polendina's eyes crinkled and he affixed him with a mischievous smile. "About that prototype ASI1905 we discussed, I've managed to get the Atlas Council to sign off on it. With any luck, by this time next week, you should be able to start your training with Gungnir."

Jaune's eyes widened and he couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "Seriously? Doctor Polendina, you are the best!"

Said doctor rubbed the back of his neck warmly, chuckling. "Oh come now. No need to butter me up now, it's as good as yours!"

"I'm being honest though, Doctor. I can't believe I'm actually going to get to use _that_ …" He breathed, feeling particularly giddy.

"It'll take some special training, of course. Such an advanced piece of technology is not easy to use, and if mistreated, it could break easily. Unfortunately, the issue with the rate of fire has been hard to fix, and although we've managed to reduce the cooldown times on the weapon, I'm afraid you're still sacrificing rate of fire for ranged superiority," The doctor finished explaining.

"Any particular time to have that fit in my schedule?" Jaune asked, lowering his voice further as a number of other students began to filter into the room and took their seats around the classroom.

The doctor shook his head. "No, no. Sadly, with my increased workload as of late, I won't have time for dedicated lessons. Specialist Schnee offered to increase her training with you, but she isn't familiar with the ASI1905." To this, Jaune was unable to resist the urge to breathe a sigh of relief, something that Gepetto didn't miss. "Ha! I figured you'd feel that way. No, instead I'll grab you whenever our schedules align. I know it'll cut down on potential free time, but that's the price you pay for using such weaponry."

Jaune shook his head. "That's quite alright, sir. It's a small price to pay to help the people of Atlas."

The doctor's smile grew. "That's what I like to hear, Mr. Arc. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I should get today's class started."

As the doctor turned away and made his way toward the front of the class to prepare the lesson, Flynt, who'd sat next to Jaune, leaned in. "So what was all that about?"

Flynt's answer was a cheesy grin from Jaune, followed by, "You'll all find out next week. Let's just say I've finally picked my weapon. Or more, it was picked for me and I couldn't agree more."

Before anything more could be said, the sound of Doctor Polendina clearing his throat filled the room, grabbing everyone's attention. The class had filled up, and it appeared as though it were time to begin. Jaune opened up the writing program on his scroll, cracked his knuckles, and prepared to do some note taking, his spirits having been lifted slightly with the good news…

* * *

 **0745 Hours:** Squad Alpha arrives at Captain Balthazar's class.

Besides Doctor Polendina, Jaune's second favorite teacher was Captain Balthazar, a strapping, ginger haired young man who looked no older than his early twenties. Despite this though, Balthazar Voski had shown his skill in combat quite early on to the third year students his class was comprised of. It was proof that just because he hadn't been trained as a Huntsman, he was still a force to be reckoned with. With a quick aim, a mind for Grimm nature, and sharp instincts, Balthazar had the respect of his class. It also helped that he was not only handsome, causing a number of female students (and possibly a couple of males) to attain a crush on him, but he was a personable individual, of calm and rational mind.

Class began as usual, with the Captain demonstrating proper weaknesses and strengths of the featured Grimm of the day, the students taking notes dutifully. Afterwards, the shields were put up, and students were asked to come to the front of the class at random to put their knowledge to practice. After a captured Grimm, this day an arctic Beowulf, was dispatched, another student would take their place.

"Alright, good job Trainee Soliel. Make sure to minimize movements. One on one, you have more room to maneuver, but in the middle of a pack, you'll put yourself in danger by overextending your movements." The Captain explained, typing something out on his scroll. "Other than that, you did excellently at exploiting the Beowulf's errors and pinpointing its weaknesses in a speedy manner."

"Thank you, sir." Ciel replied, saluting and turning on her heel to walk back to her seat.

"Now onto Trainee Ar-" Balthazar began before stopping and grimacing. "On second thought, we'll skip over you for now, Trainee Arc."

Jaune gave a sigh of relief. He already had combat training with Winter after class, which was going to be a nightmare in and of itself. Winter would work him until he dropped, and then some. If Squad Alpha _did_ have bodyguard duty for their weekly Civil Mission, he'd be barely able to stand, much less defend anyone. Not that anyone ever attacked that deep into Atlas itself, anyway.

The class continued on from there, with Flynt instead being called up, and eliminating his Beowulf with a blast of superheated air, courtesy of his weapon and a pinch of Fire Dust. "Excellent work, Mr. Coal. I would advise getting a side arm though, in case you've run out of Dust powder to refill your trumpet. A good knife might not be a bad idea." Balthazar adjusted his scroll. "That should be it for today. Your assignment for today is to research information on the differences between Adolescent, Adult and Elder Griffons for next week's class. Mr Arc, if you wouldn't mind staying after class?"

Jaune sat in his seat as the rest of the class filtered out, turning to his Squad. "I've got training with Winter after this, so I'll meet you guys for lunch."

Flynt and Neon exchanged glances. "Good luck, Jaune." Neon replied.

"Thanks. I'll need it…"

Ciel huffed. "I don't know why you keep acting like it's some sort of punishment! I wish I were in Squad Leader Arc's shoes!" She sighed. "If only I could train with Specialist Schnee…"

"Would that I could, I would trade with you in a heartbeat." Jaune muttered dryly. "Anyway, I've got to chat with the Captain, so…"

"Right." Ciel saluted sharply and turned on her heel, making her way out of the classroom. Flynt gave his own casual, two fingered salute to Jaune and Neon gave him a quick hug, following suit.

With his squad gone, Jaune got to his feet and approached Captain Balthazar, standing at attention and saluting. "Sir?"

"At ease, Trainee Arc."

"Yes sir." Jaune put his hands behind his back, feet apart.

"No, I mean at *actual* ease." The Captain laughed. "I won't keep you long, I know how uptight Specialist Schnee can be. I know that the General himself hand-picked her to be your tutor, but I can also see why you'd view it as a punishment."

Jaune, who'd relaxed his stance, grimaced. "She this bad around the troops, sir?"

Balthazar gave a chuckle. "More or less. It lacks that… _personal_ touch that she tends to have with you."

"Lucky me…" Jaune rolled his eyes, earning another amused snort from the Captain.

"Anyway, the reason I had you come up here is that I was hoping you could give me a hand. I've got some recon photos and intel about a potential White Fang base, and I wanted to get your opinion on a few assault options." Balthazar looked up at Jaune from his seat, putting his feet up onto his desk in a manner far too casual for a normal Atlas soldier. Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. This hadn't been the first time that he'd been all but contracted to help a member of the Atlas command with their tactics. Word of his skill had spread quickly, and when he'd shown proof to a number of high ranking officials, he'd become quite popular as a second opinion. He helped, if only to indirectly aid the citizens of Atlas, but it'd come with a quickly growing popularity with a number of Atlas officials.

"Sure. I can get on it when I get back from my Civil Mission." Jaune answered.

"Don't rush too much," Balthazar quickly added, "The mission won't start for a couple of weeks. Give it some time and make adjustments as you feel necessary. I'll send you the information to your scroll."

Jaune saluted. "Yes sir. I'll get it back to you as soon as I can." His expression fell, then, "I should head out now. Specialist Schnee gets upset if I'm less than five minutes early...or earlier than that. She expects me to be on time at exactly five minutes before."

"Ugh. Poor bastard. Alright. Best of luck to you. I skipped out on you since I heard you had training with her today. You'll need all the energy you can get." Balthazar shook his head slowly.

With a nod and an expression like a man walking down Death Row, Jaune turned on his heel and made his way out of the classroom. With any luck, he would survive another training session with the cold, strict Winter Schnee with a minimum of chastising and demerits…

* * *

 **A/N: Hey folks! Sorry for the delay, but another chapter up and out! These couple of chapters are here to give a glimpse into a usual day for Jaune and his squad. I know it's a bit on the nose to have some of the only few Atlas students we've been introduced to so far be part of Jaune's squad, but they're going to hold importance later on, and I didn't want to create all new OCs for something so important. Balthazar Voski and Gregorio Barbarossa are OCs, the later who will be playing an important role later on in the story as well, but in a different capacity.**

 **So, onto revealing the weapon!**

 **If you guessed a Spear…**

 **You gain no credit. Come on, that was a give in!**

 **The correct answer for the ranged function is….**

 _ **Drum Roll…**_

 **A Railgun!**

 **If you guessed correctly, give yourself a pat on the back. The ASI1905 (Or Atlas Special Issue 1.905mm) is a personnel carried Railgun. I'll get more into it during one of the chapters, because it's something I've put some thought into.**

 **Next chapter, we'll explore just why Jaune hates being trained by Winter, be introduced to Barbarossa, and come to face to face with the ugly truth about Atlasian politics...**


	5. Fracture

**Mastermind**

 **Chapter 5: Fracture**

* * *

Jaune sighed, his hand resting on the handle of the office door. In front of his face, a gold placard sat, taunting him with the name emblazoned upon it in black, block letters. _Specialist Winter Schnee_. He looked down at his other hand, watching the time tick by. He had to be _exactly_ five minutes before his scheduled time, or receive yet another lecture from the tyrannical Huntress. Any more than that, and she would lecture him about wasting time. Unreasonable was the word of the hour with Winter Schnee. Like a man awaiting execution, Jaune watched the time tick down on his watch. _Five...four...three...two...one…_

The little hand on his wristwatch hit the correct time and Jaune, swallowing down his trepidation, turned the handle and walked inside. There was a ritual to entering Winter Schnee's office. Step inside. Salute. Announce presence. "Trainee Arc, reporting for duty, ma'am!" Await response.

"Close the door and await further instructions." The white haired Specialist didn't bother to look up from the paperwork that marred her otherwise impeccable desk. Jaune silently turned sharply on his heel and closed the door, making sure not to slam it. He then turned around and stood ramrod straight at attention. Irritation began to boil almost immediately when he noticed Winter's attention hadn't moved from her papers. He waited silently, with only the tick of the clock and the shuffling of papers to break it. _Tick-tock...tick-tock...tick-tock._

Time passed, and Jaune waited. He forced himself to calm down. Time passed, and Jaune waited. His feet began to tire and he did his best to shift his weight from one foot, to the other, and back again in a manner that allowed him to remain standing mostly still. He held his breath for a moment when Winter cleared her throat, but thankfully she seemed too preoccupied with her passed, and Jaune waited. There were no clocks in Winter's office, at least none that he could see, which meant he had no idea of how much time had passed, although he wouldn't have been surprised to find out it was a half hour or more of simply standing in complete silence. Time passed, and Jaune waited. Jaune's hand clenched tightly, a twitch developing in his eye as his blood began to boil. He wasn't looking forward to training with Winter, but to have his time wasted like he was unimportant was more than he could stand. He loosened his stance-

Only for Winter's gaze to suddenly snap upward, Jaune's stance stiffening up in surprise and a small amount of fear. "Stop fidgeting!"

The twitch in Jaune's eye worsened. "Apologies, Specialist Schnee."

Winter's attention thankfully went back to her papers, her pen scrawling out something before she finally placed the paper upon the stack near her with nearly machine like precision. The pen was placed into its holder and she scooted back from her chair. "Seeing how you seem so impatient, I'll deal with this later. Follow me."

Even with Winter's back turned to him as she walked past him, Jaune's face didn't betray the rage bubbling behind his impassive facade, although he was unsuccessful in getting his eye to stop twitching. Winter's pace was swift, owing to her long legs and professional stride that wasted no time at all in getting from place to place. It was only by the grace of good genetics and an equally long stride that Jaune could keep up with Winter's snappy pace. The two made their way through the cold gray and white walls of the combat school, past offices and classrooms filled with prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses. Jaune was dreading this day. Combat training with Winter was exhausting, painful and humiliating. Still, even as they approached the double doors that lead to the indoor combat training arena, Jaune could feel a slight hope welling in his chest. With the fact that he'd soon be wielding a new, prototype weapon, Winter wouldn't know how to use it herself, and thus his days of dealing with Winter's tyrannical reign would be over. Even on a cloudy day, Jaune could see the silver lining.

The two entered into the arena and Winter, refusing to waste even a second of time as usual, made her way to the computer to set up the training program. Her fingers flew across the keys as Jaune stood at attention. There was a shimmering all around the two as the shielding activated and a large blue steel case emerged from the ground, opening up to reveal a number of mock weaponry that the students used when they wanted to avoid actually causing any injuries. Not that that stopped Winter from beating Jaune black and blue during combat training; but if it _wasn't_ for such weaponry, he may have lost a limb or two. Winter approached the weapons and withdrew a military saber, sheathing it on her hip. Jaune remained standing at attention, waiting for Winter's orders, but instead of a barked command, Winter withdrew a large, polearm looking weapon from the queue and tossed at him unexpectedly. Jaune barely managed to catch it without fumbling it out of his hands and he gazed at it with a cocked eyebrow. This wasn't the usual weapons training that Winter put him through, that was for certain.

As if Winter could read his mind, her voice, clear and crisp, cut across the arena. "We'll be starting training on a new melee weapon, Since you'll be wielding the ASI1905 for the foreseeable future, it no longer means I can teach you on ranged combat, as much as you need it. That doesn't mean, however, that I cannot show you how to fight using its Heavy Lance mode." She ended her explanation with what Jaune could _swear_ was the barest hint of a smug smile. Jaune suppressed a whimper of depression; it appeared as though the silver lining that he'd been viewing was simply the edge of a thunderhead, and a storm was quickly approaching. He hefted the weapon, inwardly groaning at the weight of it. If this was how heavy the melee form of his weapon was going to be, he had a long road ahead of him before he could wield it with the same grace and power as other Huntsman utilized their weaponry.

This would be the last calm thought through his mind before Winter decided that warning him that training was to begin was for children, and simply crossed the arena floor in a brief moment and swung her saber in his direction...

* * *

 **[***]**

* * *

"...and you constantly drop your shoulder when blocking! Stand up straight!"

Jaune winced but complied, forcing his aching and bruised body to stand ramrod straight while Winter gave him her end of training report, which was always, _always_ , negative. No matter how hard Jaune worked, she always seemed to have something to complain about. At first, it had been disheartening, and on more than one occasion, her harsh chastisement had caused him to even consider quitting his schooling early. It was support from his friends and allies that kept him from doing so, however, and now he viewed her debasement with detached annoyance more than anything. "Yes, Specialist Schnee…" Jaune droned, struggling with his desire to roll his eyes.

"I expect to see more improvement with the Heavy Lance during our next training session, or I will personally go to Doctor Polendina and tell him to remove you from the prototype testing for the ASI1905!" Winter snapped, eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Specialist Schnee." To Jaune, those words might as well have replaced the term, "fuck you," that he in no way was able to tell her. His anger grew at the thought of having such an honor taken away from him due to Winter's unreasonable demands. His hands clenched at his side but he gave no other signs toward his displeasure. Winter stared at him silent for a few moments before turning on her heel and walking away.

"You are dismissed. If I hear you are late for Commander Barbarossa's mission, you will be given demerits. Am I clear?" Winter intoned, back turned to Jaune who took the opportunity to roll his eyes.

"Yes, Specialist Schnee." With that, Winter walked forward and out of the room, letting the double doors swing behind her as she exited the arena. A few moments later, Jaune finally relaxed and glared at the door. " _Apologies_ for not being _perfect, Specialist Schnee._ " Jaune sneered at the door before sighing and shaking his head. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his scroll, checking the time. 12:05. Seeing how it would take five minutes to for him to get back to cafeteria, Jaune knew that he'd have to wolf down whatever food he grabbed if he wanted to get in a full meal before the Civil Mission. Once again, Jaune glared at the door and walked toward it. For someone who insisted upon perfection from Jaune, she herself had been the one to make him late for lunch, and more than likely on purpose.

The doors were thrown open with more force than necessary, but Jaune didn't care. _At least_ , he thought, _today can't really get any worse than dealing with Winter…_

A little under five minutes later, a heavily breathing Jaune managed to bring himself into the cafeteria. His body complained under the stress of the activity he'd done earlier combined with the run to the cafeteria. As he stumbled forward toward the line, a hand grabbed his shoulder. Jaune turned to see Flynt smiling at him. "Thought you might be a bit late with her Frostiness, so I grabbed you a burger and fries."

Jaune smiled tiredly back at his friend. "Flynt, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

Flynt laughed, adjusting his sunglasses. "That moved by a burger, huh? Man, Specialist Schnee really must have ran you ragged."

"You've no idea. And here I had hope that getting to use a new weapon would mean that Specialist Schnee wouldn't be able to teach me combat…" Jaune whimpered as Flynt began leading him back to Squad Alpha's usual table. Neon and Ciel were already seated and in mid meal, chatting with one another. Neon, having noticed Flynt's movement out of the corner of her eye, turned to see he and Jaune approaching and jumped to her feet, rushing over to them. "Aw, Jaune, you look terrible!"

"Subtle as always, Neon." Flynt joked.

"I just want to go back to bed if possible." Jaune muttered as Flynt brought him to a full burger and fries. The exhausted boy sank onto the metal bench and began to pick at the fries, the effects of the training starting to really hit him fully.

Ciel sighed and frowned, crossing her arms. "Would the three of you please stop? While I'm sure training with Specialist Schnee is difficult work, it can't be as bad you make it out to be." Three pairs of disbelieving eyes stared at her for a few moments of silence (at least among Squad Alpha) until Ciel's face twisted in frustration. "Well, it _can't_!"

"Ciel?" Flynt asked slowly.

"What?"

"Have _you_ ever trained with Specialist Schnee?"

Ciel sighed and looked off to the side, looking offput. "...no. I wish."

"No, you don't." Jaune muttered. "She doesn't know the meaning of mercy, demands absolute perfection in everything you do, and only mentions everything you do wrong. I've got the bruises to _prove_ that it _is_ that bad."

"W-well is perfection _that_ bad a thing to strive for?" Ciel asked uneasily.

"To strive for? No. To expect and demand it? Yes." Jaune lifted the burger up, his arms protesting at simply lifting anything, and he took a bite.

"Besides," Neon added, "Jaune's not really a combat specialist anyway."

"Neon!" Ciel chastised.

"She's right," Jaune interjected absentmindedly. "I'm better at moving people around than I am at direct combat."

Ciel frowned and took a bite of her own food, and the table fell silent with her. A few moments later, she spoke up again. "If...if I may, sir?"

Jaune looked up to see Ciel staring at him expectantly. "Um...go ahead?"

"While your tactical prowess is above and beyond all of us trainees, that still doesn't mean that you should neglect your combat skills, sir." Ciel answered, her expression looking uneasy, as though the very thought of criticizing even a pseudo-authority figure was unnerving.

"Erm…" Jaune seemed lost for words, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I know that…"

"Lay off, Soliel." Flynt muttered, lazily twirling a pile of spaghetti noodles on his fork.

"Flynt, that's enough." In an instant, Jaune's tone was stern and Flynt snapped straight up in his seat, nearly dropping his fork in shock. "Ciel is simply giving what she feels is the best advice, and she's got a point. Regardless, I never feel like I learn much with Specialist Schnee; it just feels like I get the crap kicked out of me, then yelled at for not being able to fight back against someone as experienced as her." Jaune relaxed and shook his head. "Anyway, enough of all this; I want to get some food in me before our Civil Mission. I've got a feeling it's not going to be any fun…"

The rest of the table fell silent as they dug into their food, the mood shifting to a more somber one as they mentally and physically readied themselves for what was most likely to be _very_ trying afternoon…

 **12:20:** Squad Alpha arrives to the hallway before Commander Barbarossa's Office. The reason for their location being outside the office rather than inside of it stems from a loud voice shouting from Barbarossa's office.

"Please! My family is in danger! There are Ursa Major just outside the walls!"

"And yet," a teeth gratingly calm and oily voice murmured, "you managed to make your way here. The situation cannot be _all_ that dire that it cannot wait the requisite mandatory waiting period for your papers to be ratified."

A slamming noise causes the eavesdropping Squad Alpha to jump in place. " _I barely escaped with my life!_ I have a wife and children!"

"And so do many of the good citizens of Atlas. They too, must follow the guidelines to request help from the military. You surely must have understood the risks you were undertaking when you chose to leave Atlas' safe walls…"

"I was promised help if danger arrived!" The voice, a male's voice, reached nearly a screech.

There was a sigh and a _tutting_ noise. "Help was promised _if_ you go through the proper authorizations. We can't just be sending troops out all willy nilly for every minor skirmish at the drop of a hat."

Jaune's expression hardened and he approached Barbarossa's open office door with the members of Squad Alpha following close behind him. He stopped just shy of the door, listening in. "How could I know when such a thing was going to happen?!" The man screamed, pounding once again on the desk.

Another theatrical sigh; then, "Security? Please escort Mr…erm, this man from the premises."

"What?! You can't do this! My family is in danger-get off of me! Let me go! Please! I'm begging you!" The sounds of the man screaming grew closer and before Squad Alpha knew it, they watched as two Lancelot units dragged a flailing man in a cheap shirt and jeans, his lined, scruffy face contorted in panic as he tried to cry back to Barbarossa. "They're all going to die! Please! God above, please!"

Jaune watched, transfixed, horrified, as the man was dragged down the hall, his cries and pleas fading away. He stood there for a few moments even after the sounds had faded away, staring off into space down the hallway, mind racing. A hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts and he spun around on his heel to see Squad Alpha looking unnerved. They stayed silent; not wanting to appear as though they'd been eavesdropping, but it was plain as day that the events that transpired had them all unnerved. All at once, Jaune noticed that his hand had been clenched into a white knuckled fist and slowly unballed it, pain shooting up his arm. He took a deep breath, and without so much as a look back to his team, turned back to walk the few feet to the doorway to Barbarossa's Office.

"Sir? Trainee Arc, reporting for the weekly Civic Duty, sir." Jaune intoned with practiced candance as he stood at the door, saluting sharply.

If there was a single word that Jaune could use to describe Commander Ivar Barbarossa, it was slimy. From the oily sheen of sweat that constantly seemed to drip from his flabby face even in the coldest of weather, to the used car salesman tone he took with everyone, he left most individuals feeling unclean after a meeting with him. Jaune knew from the moment he first met the man that he'd dislike him, and time only served to justify that initial feeling. The man was obese; there was no other word Jaune could use to describe his figure. He'd probably never even _heard_ of a Physical Fitness Test much less ever passed one, and yet, he was somehow in a high rank. Rumors flitted about Atlas between the enlisted men as well as a few officers in the know that Barbarossa attained his rank through sucking up to the Council and had them force Ironwood to give him his current rank. To make matters even worse, in addition to brown-nosing the Council, (or at least anyone who _wasn't_ Ironwood) Barbarossa had decided to try and sway Jaune to his favor in the most insincere manner Jaune had ever run into.

"Jaune, my boy! Come on in." Barbarossa greeted Jaune, gesturing to a chair before him. Jaune suppressed a shudder. When Professor Polendina greeted him like that, Jaune always felt like being greeted by a kindly old St. Nick. When Barbarossa said it, it just made Jaune feel ill at best, annoyed at worst. Today of all days, Jaune was not in the mood; not after having witnessed the earlier scene of the man in distress. Jaune sat down, with the rest of his Squad filtering in behind him. They weren't even given a second glance up; something else that earned Barbarossa further ire from Jaune. "Lucky for you, I've got quite the easy mission for you and your Squad today; some bodyguard duty. Mrs. Marigold needs an escort to go shopping today. Poor dear is so concerned with the encroachment by those disgusting White Fang beasts."

Jaune could see Neon moving nervously out of the corner of his eye. Barbarossa, in addition to everything else, was an unapologetic Faunus hater. Jaune, both wanting answers and wanting to distract Barbarossa from yet another anti-Faunus rant, spoke up. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

Barbarossa smiled, or at least gave a reasonable facsimile of a smile. "Of _course_ , my boy. Ask away." The large man stroked his oily beard as he adopted an expression that was supposed to be magnanimous, but only came across as infuriating.

"That man you had escorted out of your office earlier. What was that about?"

Barbarossa looked taken aback for all of a split second. However, his expression quickly snapped back to its usual irritating smile. "Oh dear, I'd hoped that no one would have had to see such an...unpleasant situation. I'm afraid that Mr...erm, the man who'd been removed hadn't been willing to follow the proper channels that are required to enlist the aid of Atlas' finest. Surely you understand, Trainee Arc?"

"It sounded like he and his family were in grave danger though, sir; as Huntsmen, isn't it our duty to protect those who need it most?"

"Yes, Trainee Arc, but we can't be sending people off all over the place; we have people here at home in Atlas who need your aid."

"Sir, if that man was from an outside village, then wouldn't he need our aid much more urgently than someone inside the walls of Atlas protected by countless mechanical soldiers and defenses?" Jaune continued, his hand once again slowly balling itself into a fist.

"We will _not_ be giving aid, Trainee Arc, until the paperwork itself is ratified. I will hear no more of this! If this issue is pushed you will be disciplined. Now, Mrs. Marigold is waiting for you all, so please, do not keep her waiting." Barbarossa responded, his flabby features growing redder.

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but quickly snapped it closed, standing to his feet with such speed that he nearly knocked over his chair. He saluted, barely registering the rest of Squad Alpha doing the same from the corner of his eye, and turned sharply on his heel, marching out. It didn't take a genius to tell that he was incensed as he strode out of Barbarossa's office with stiff movements, both his hands now balled into tight fists. Silently, the rest of Squad Alpha followed on his heels, each of them with their own expression, whether trepidation, sorrow, or anger mirroring Jaune's. Words did not pass between the three, but their exchanges of glances spoke volumes. This civil mission would be a nerve wracking one at best…

* * *

 **[Atlas Shopping District]**

* * *

"And to think, those wretched White Fang actually managed to find their way _into_ Atlas! Luckily, they attacked those insipid Schnees, but still, to think that those animals would dare to step food on _our_ Atlas…" A voice, airy and vapid, rambled on and on as it had for the past hour and a half. The owner of the voice, one Abigail Marigold, was a bottle blonde woman with a fake tan and a chest that was so obviously fake that it was a surprise that she could even find a husband. Sadly, for all of Atlas, she had in Gary Marigold. The heir to the Marigold Mining Conglomerate, the man was a thin, small, sniveling wreck of a man who spent his time constantly agreeing with Abigail in an attempt to keep ahold of his obviously trophy wife.

Who she was, or who she married mattered not to Jaune. What did matter was how hard it was to resist the temptation to drive the butt of the standard issue Atlas Combat Rifle that he carried into the back of Abigail's skull. The earlier scenario of watching Barbarossa deny the poor civilian the help he desperately needed behind the excuse of red tape had already stretched his thin patience to the breaking point, and it was taking every ounce of willpower not to snap at the annoying socialite he was forced to 'guard' for the Civil Duty. She had spent the first hour of the walk around the Shopping District complaining nonstop about Squad Alpha, from whining about how Jaune looked 'pathetic' and, 'not even like an Atlas soldier,' to how she felt disgusted having a 'filthy Faunus' like Neon to guard her, even insinuating she was a White Fang spy.

If Neon hadn't kept a hand on Jaune's arm and an eye on his own, he may have snapped then. When she got bored of picking on the four trainees protecting her, however, Abigail began to complain about the citizens of Atlas itself. From the civilians who, "didn't know how lucky they were to have someone like _her_ living amongst their squalid kind," to her fellow socialites, no one was safe from the bitching of the woman. Eventually, Jaune was able to tune her out, instead focusing on his surroundings.

Jaune had always found Atlas to be cold and beautiful at the same time. Snow covered rooftops stretched on and on, the skyline dominated by the massive pyramid shaped building that was one part Huntsman Academy, one part CCT, and one part military barracks. Atlas Academy was the crowning jewel of Atlas itself, a massive shining structure that could be seen all the way from the walls themselves. From there, the city emerged outward in concentric circles, first the Civil District with various government buildings located right outside Atlas Academy itself, then the Residential District with the fancier domiciles being located closer to the Civil District and the more common dwellings located closer to the outer ring. Lastly, the Shopping District, where Squad Alpha were now walking around.

"Of course, all of this pales in comparison to the Grimm. I've heard they've been moving in closer to Atlas! What on Remnant are we paying those meat-headed military morons for if they can't keep a few mindless beasts away from my city!" Abigail's whiny voice managed to pry its way into Jaune's consciousness and his hands clenched tighter around the grip of his rifle.

"O-o-of course honey, y-you're absolutely correct! General I-ironwood should be w-working to protect p-people like you!" Gary simpered, rubbing his hands together as he followed his wife's stride closely, hunched over. Behind him, Flynt struggled with two armfuls of bags from Abigail's shopping. Much to the entire Squad's dismay, they were basically forced to act as packmules for the woman, or most likely have her complain to Barbarossa, and fail their Civil Mission, which would not only give them all demerits, but require make up lessons. Jaune and Flynt met glances and Jaune gave an apologetic look. They'd been trading the bags back and forth between the two of them, and from the looks of it, Abigail wasn't nearly done shopping yet.

"Of course I'm right! Personally, I think we should be rid of Ironwood and put that delightful Barbarossa in his place. At least _he_ knows when he's speaking to his betters and respects me! I bet if _he_ were in office, we wouldn't have to deal with the Grimm _or_ those disgusting White Fang idiots. Plus, probably a lot less of those filthy animals in our military as well…" Abigail trailed off. It wasn't hard to tell she was now targeting Neon again, who slinked back further away from the woman. Jaune could tell she was trying to keep a strong face, but it was obvious the verbal abuse wasn't helping. Jaune lowered his rifle and placed a hand on Neon's shoulder, who turned and gave a weak smile back.

The moment, however, was cut off by the sound of a man screaming, and all four member of Squad Alpha instantly snapped to attention. The four of them rushed forward, Flynt dropping the bags to the ground and all four hoisted their rifles, ready to fight…

Only for Jaune to see a familiar sight. The man from Barbarossa's office was on his knees in the snow, his hands holding a scroll as he stared down into it, eyes wide. " _Please, get out of there! Just run!_ " Jaune stared in shock, watching as the man screamed at whoever was on the other side. The man's expression was one of shock, panic and desperation, his hands clutching the scroll with a white knuckled grip. "Honey? Honey? _Oh god, please, speak to me!_ " He begged. There was no response, although Jaune swore he could hear the sounds of growling coming from the scroll. Slowly, the man's grip on the scroll loosened, and he sat there, kneeling in the snow and shaking. The look on his face was one that Jaune would never forget. Horror. Shock. An empty dread. Try as he might, he could not look away as the man slowly slumped forward on his hands and knees, eyes watering.

"Ugh, more homeless idiots on the streets?! Get him out of my path!" screeched Abigail, ripping Jaune from his horrified reverie.

Slowly, Jaune turned his head, a thousand thoughts rushing through his mind. Disbelief. Shock. Above all else, _anger._ A white hot rage shot through his mind, and his hands trembled. Did she not see the man on his knees, broken from his loss? Here he was, guarding someone like Abigail Marigold, a selfish, harpy of a woman, when he could have been on a bullhead and protecting the man's family in the nick of time. His thoughts were a mess, and a part of him desperately wanted to take it out on the woman.

Maybe it was his trembling hands as he fought against himself not to raise the rifle on the woman. Maybe his face betrayed the utter fury in his heart, or maybe he'd seen it before, but Flynt stepped between Abigail and Jaune, his tone surprisingly calm for what just happened. "Hey, everything's alright Ms. Marigold. Why don't we cut through Lamaign Street, yeah? There's a couple of jewelers down that way, and you did say you wanted to find a new broach for the fundraiser this weekend?"

At once, Abigail smirked, her previous complaints almost instantly forgotten, just like the broken, quietly sobbing man in the middle of the street before them. "A wonderful idea. I can't stand to look up on such filth in these clean city streets. Mr...Coal, was it?"

"Yes ma'am. Flynt Coal. Myself and Trainee Soliel here will be overseeing the guard duty for now; Squad Leader Arc and Trainee Katt are required to leave early to report back to Commander Barbarossa."

"Yes, yes," Abigail dismissively waved one bejeweled hand in the Squad's direction. "Let's be on our way already…"

Jaune barely registered the Marigolds leaving, along with Flynt and Soliel. He stood there, his gaze having been drawn back to the man on his knees, the man who'd lost everything. Neon was saying something to him, but he couldn't seem to understand her. All he could do was ask himself one question, over and over again in his mind.

 _Why?_

* * *

 **A/N: Holy balls, it's been a while since I've updated anything. Honestly, I don't** **really have a good excuse this time save for being tired and being tempted by video games. I'm honestly really sorry. Pls don't burn an effigy of me in the street.**

 **Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou**


End file.
